Say it ain't so! Upstart American-made Motus Motorcycles may be no more. After aggressively pursuing dealers with the goal of 100 retailers in place by the end of the year, including Double D's Performance in Scottsdale and Grand Prix Motorsports outside of Denver, just announced in the August 1 newsletter. Motus owners received an e-mail on Friday, August 31 from founders Lee Conn and Brian Case saying funding had run out.
“After an amazing ten-year ride, Motus is forced to shut down operations, effective immediately. This week, Motus' financial backers unexpectedly informed management that they will not provide sufficient capital to maintain operations and grow the business. We were surprised and disappointed, especially because we have been working so hard preparing an October 2018 product launch into a new and exciting segment as well as new features on the MST series. This is very unfortunate timing and we will work to quickly find a new path forward for Motus Motorcycles and our American V4 powertrain division.”
It was an interesting run for the push-rod V4 powered motorcycle. It made for good copy and garnered acclaim from the endemic media as well as outside the industry with fans like Jay Leno. “We are very grateful to Team Motus, truly the finest group of professionals and people, who have each dedicated so much of their hearts and souls to Motus. We are also thankful to our dealers and the many customers and supporters who have cheered us on and put gas in our tanks along the way.
“How can we just give this up without a fight? Maybe we find some new backers who really believe Motus was on to something, and the American V4 needs to live on, whether in bikes, boats, rock bouncers, flying cars, late model circle track, water pumps in 3rd worlds, or whatever.
“And to all our loyal friends, family, dealers, suppliers, who, out of nothing but kindness, say ‘call Leno’ or ‘insert famous celebrity,’ it doesn't work like that. No celebrity is going to ‘save’ a little brand like us. This isn't a movie or even reality TV. We don't get a handout or government grants. We have to save ourselves or die trying. We owe it not just to ourselves, but to everyone who took a chance on us and has stuck by us through a very difficult time. hashtag #AmericanV4ever
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